Winter Storm Elliott, which pummeled the majority of the Midwestern and Eastern United States over the weekend, continued to wreak havoc on Monday, with frigid temperatures and heavy snow resulting in over 40 deaths and travel delays.
NBC reported that as of Monday morning, the storm had killed at least 46 people along its path from the Great Lakes to the Rio Grande along the Mexican border.
Buffalo police verified ten fatalities as a result of a “belt of heavy snow” in western New York, where the storm made its greatest impact.
NBC claimed that deaths due to blizzards occurred in eleven other states, including Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, and Michigan.
Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wisconsin also saw fatalities, according to the news source.
Con Edison and National Grid asked consumers to decrease natural gas consumption as temperatures continued to fall and pipes faced the risk of overuse. Thousands of people are still without power across the country.
Early Monday morning, the National Weather Service issued a bulletin stating, “Much of the eastern United States will continue under a deep freeze through Monday before a moderating trend sets in on Tuesday.”
In addition to the arctic blast, lake-effect snow generated by the movement of cold air from Canada across the Great Lakes is likely to continue early this week, potentially disrupting travel plans following the holiday season.
More than 1,400 flights were canceled on Monday morning, with an additional 1,300 delayed.
Multiple vehicles were involved in an incident on the Ohio Turnpike in Erie County, Ohio.
In addition to the unpredictability of air travel, ice roads and whiteout conditions have caused many catastrophic accidents and traffic delays around the country.
National Weather Service: “The life-threatening freezing temperatures and dangerous wind chills will create a potentially life-threatening hazard for travelers who become stuck, those who work outside, livestock, and domestic pets.”
This week, the Pacific Northwest and California are also prepared for severe weather, as scientists warn that a “potent surge of precipitation” could bring flash flooding to the region.
»As cold blast continues to pummel the United States, 46 people have been killed«